


dagger and two people

by sometimesheroesdie



Category: Sword Art Online
Genre: Canon Divergence, F/M, Fluff, Kissing, Mild Hurt/Comfort, Please Don't Kill Me, Suggestive Flirting, i know sao is controversial, kirito is slightly more flirty and confident with asuna, probably takes place somewhere after they get married, reaaaaaally mild
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2018-06-22
Updated: 2018-06-22
Packaged: 2019-05-26 21:39:13
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 926
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/15009989
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/sometimesheroesdie/pseuds/sometimesheroesdie
Summary: the business end of the blade rips through soft caramel tresses. she grits her teeth as they shatter into diamond powder and broken binary code.[ in which asuna cuts her hair in her frustration. ]





	dagger and two people

**Author's Note:**

> yes, i am writing sword art online fanfiction, please don't hate me
> 
> sorry for the longer-than-normal break!! i was taking a breather from writing and taking care of myself. also, school's starting next week so uGh; i'll be updating less probably. ;-;
> 
> lol honestly i only got true motivation to write for this fandom after i watched sao abridged. there's something about how abridged does kirito and asuna's character arcs better than the original and how they complement each other that made me want to write something for this pairing! if you don't like sao, i don't think you should read it. ^^

“ . . . Asuna?” he calls, leaning against the bathroom door. “Asuna, are you alright?” He closes his eyes. It’s been fifteen minutes since she locked herself in there. He’s worried - even though the house is in a safe zone and her HP gauge below his is still in the green. “What happened?”

“Wait,” she says hoarsely, “please, Kirito, just . . . hold on.”

“I . . . okay.” He strokes the uneven wood of the door, fingers tapping an anxious pattern. “When you’re ready.” 

She is silent. It’s so not-Asuna to be this unresponsive and quiet. Her fire and her passion is what makes her a beacon of light to Aincrad, and a ray of hope for him. His heart hammers against its ribcage. His throat aches with the urge to call her name again. But he holds it in, restrains both - he’d promised Asuna to wait. He’d always wait.

There’s a faint plink of metal hitting tile, and the tinkle of room permissions being changed. Kirito presses his palm against the wood, asks, “Can I come in?” A soft sound of acknowledgement, and he pushes open the door.

The first thing he sees is the dagger on the floor. Dread forces its way up his throat. The second thing he notices are the golden-brown strands littering the tiles, disintegrating, one by one, into those familiar glassy shards. The third is Asuna herself, sitting on the floor, knees to her chest, her hair shorn to lightly brush her shoulders. 

There’s almost something symbolic in her cut hair. Kirito kneels beside her, shoving the dagger aside and touching her shoulder gently. She flinches and he snatches his hand away, pathetic hurt and worry stabbing his chest. Her eyes are dark and glassy, something like shame colouring them almost black. He aches for her, his lovely, strong Asuna, reduced to this trembling figure before him.

“My damn hair kept getting in the way,” she murmurs. “It’s stupid, but I can’t afford to be a liability to the front lines or to Aincrad. Even in the small ways like this. Kirito, I . . . I was so angry when I almost got . . . got you killed during that skirmish.”

“Asuna . . . ” He caresses her shoulder-length locks. “You aren’t a liability at all. You’re the vice commander of the Knights of the Blood. You’re an incredible fighter. A few slip-ups are fine, given all the stress you’re put under in your position. Don’t worry too much over them.”

“That's not my point. I almost got you _killed _. If you die here, you die in _real life _.”____

____“These things happen,” he tells her, and smirks. “It’s nothing I can’t handle. I’m an extraordinary player, second only to _you _, commander.”___ _ _ _

______Almost incomprehensibly, she mutters, “You’re an idiot,” and Kirito chuckles, brushing off the tiny, fine strands of hair strewn across her bare shoulders. Warmth returns to her eyes. “It's vain and stupid, but . . . I look terrible, don’t I?”_ _ _ _ _ _

______“Not at all,” he tells her. A tiny smile tweaks her lips. “You look . . . very . . . very adorable. I, um . . . yeah.” He groans and flushes pink._ _ _ _ _ _

______Asuna giggles, the arms she’d kept wrapped around her knees slowly loosening. Gently, Kirito lifts and drapes them over his shoulders. Her fingers tangle in his hair. “You’re . . . You’re the strongest person I know, Asuna,” he whispers, leaning into her shoulder. Warm breath leaks from her lips, a shaky exhale, to touch dark hair and caress the tip of an ear. “Both your stats and your heart.”_ _ _ _ _ _

______“I quite adore you,” she whispers back, and something in those four words sets his heart afire._ _ _ _ _ _

______He waits till his blush fades before he pulls away with a smile. “Your hair is uneven,” he tells her. “I’ll help you.” He opens their shared inventory and selects a pair of scissors, which she’d used while maxing out her Tailoring skill. Carefully, he sets the gleaming metal blades below the jagged ends of her locks._ _ _ _ _ _

______Asuna’s sepia eyes dance as he works. Her breaths touch the hollow of his collarbone and Kirito shivers, scissors trembling briefly. Her fingers toy with the hem of his sweater as they sit together, near-silent save for the metallic snap of metal and their breathing._ _ _ _ _ _

______“Done,” he says hoarsely, and the two of them gaze at their reflections in the mirror._ _ _ _ _ _

______Kirito smiles, tugging lightly on her short golden-brown hair. Frowning thoughtfully, she covers his hand with hers. “At least it’s much more practical now,” she speaks. Turning to him, “It’s nighttime already. Let’s go to sleep.”_ _ _ _ _ _

______Asuna’s hair catches the moonlight, imbues the spun caramel strands with streaks of silver as she braces her arms around his head, gazing down on him with a sleepy smile. Kirito toys with a loose curl, whispering, “I really like your new hair. Just so you know. It makes you look younger. More carefree.”_ _ _ _ _ _

______“That’s nice,” she murmurs._ _ _ _ _ _

______“Mmm.” His hands slide down her sides, resting on her hips. “But if there’s one thing I don’t like, it’s that it can’t act as a barrier any more. Your hair curtained us away when we . . . ” He lets his sentence hang._ _ _ _ _ _

______She laughs breathily. “I think I can still do that. I just need to . . . ” Smirking, she lowers her frame to his, nose touching his. “ . . . be closer to you.” A low, raspy whisper. Her hair shields them from the low light streaming through the windows, from Aincrad. She’s so close to Kirito, so close he can feel her lashes whisper against his cheek. He smiles, says roughly, “And then?”_ _ _ _ _ _

______“Shut up,” Asuna tells him, and takes the grin off his lips with a kiss._ _ _ _ _ _

**Author's Note:**

> thank you!! do leave feedback if you have any - it helps me better my writing and portray characters more accurately! :)


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